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My kitten squeaked at the mention of toys.
Tourmaline flitted to a nearby flower to have a snack.
“One toy per pet per person,” my father countered.
“Fine. Just remember we only have thirty minutes.”
The time limit got my parents on the move. With them marching as though the store might close at any moment, we made it in five minutes. With the same energy as young children, they hurried through the store, beelining for the sign featuring a cat.
To my dismay, Wanda and her boy were there, and the woman laughed at me. “You look absolutely ragged. Are those mean old dragons dragging you everywhere?”
Jamie’s attention locked on the carbunclo, and I struggled to keep from laughing at the hope in his expression.
“They really are.” I scratched Garnet and said, “Remember Jamie, Garnet? He’d like to say hello.”
With wide eyes, the boy bobbed his head. “Please?”
Garnet squeaked, shifted to her wisp form, and transferred over to Jamie’s shoulder before transforming back, nuzzling his cheek and settling on his shoulder. I smiled at my kitten. “She’s gotten quite good at that trick.”
“She really has. Alas for me, I have caved. Jamie really wants a kitten, so we are going to meet kittens until he picks the perfect pair. I won’t have a sad and lonely kitten in my house, so we will be adopting two. He dragged me to the Gray Ward yesterday to help with the rains. He wanted to earn the adoption fee and everything his kittens need. He isn’t quite clear on how the bounties work, so he insisted we stay the entire day. I had more than a few conversations with him about the nature of life and death.”
The thought of the boy dealing with such a topic hurt, especially when I struggled with it myself. However, I could make certain the boy left the pet store with empty pockets but a great deal of joy. “Great job, Jamie. You should make your mom take you to visit all the kittens, put them on your lap, and see which ones like attention from you. That’ll help make certain you find kittens who want to go home with you. If you take home a pair of sibling kittens, they’ll be extra happy.”
“I’ll do that, Miss Kinsley!” Jamie petted Garnet and added, “Thank you for letting me pet your kitten again.”
I knew better than to tell him he could whenever he wanted; I’d be swarmed with even more dragons and never have a moment of peace. “You’re welcome.” I scooped Garnet off Jamie’s shoulder, praised her, and said, “Garnet is about to get a few new toys, as is Tourmaline. I hope your venture goes well.”
Wendy chuckled. “I think it will. Just try to be patient. I’m sure those two will lose interest soon enough.”
There was no chance of that happening, not that I could tell her that. Rather than betray myself, I said, “I’ll try, although it has been difficult. They bought six gowns, Wanda. Me. Wearing a gown? And they bought the gowns at a boutique in the Diamond Ward.”
Wanda’s eyes widened. “Oh.”
“I couldn’t bring myself to look at the price tags. They bought shoes to go with the gowns, too. What do I do?”
“Wear them,” the dragon replied, and her expression relaxed into a smile. “Once they go off and do whatever those mean old dragons do when they aren’t bothering people, I will help you become more comfortable in your gowns, and perhaps we can see to some jewelry.”
The thought of the fortune in jewelry in my apartment would bother me for weeks, and I didn’t need to put on an act to display a suitable amount of distress. “Please tell me the jewelry at Shrine Hill is mostly costume jewelry.”
Wanda covered her mouth with her hands. “I’m afraid not. Their inexpensive jewelry is sterling silver with semiprecious rather than precious stones.”
I bowed my head. “Well, at least Garnet likes her new treasures. I bought some for her. Those dragons do not seem to understand that their wallets are not bottomless pits filled with money.”
The red dragon laughed. “I wouldn’t worry about their wallets, Kinsley. They have more wealth than they know what to do with, and they could likely buy out half of Dragon Heights and not miss a penny of it. They are old, they’re grouchy, and they have dedicated their lives to accumulating treasure. Like good dragons do.”
“But how?” I pointed in the direction they had gone. “How do they do that if all they’re doing here is spend, spend, and spend?”
“Oh. I suppose you would have no way of knowing. Well, he is a broker.”
“Of what? Souls?” I muttered.
Wanda laughed and shook her head. “He handles financial brokerage, real estate brokerage, and business brokerage. The business brokerage is where he earns the most money. When companies buy and sell, they go to him to make certain the transaction goes smoothly. When there are worries of monopolies, he evaluates the companies and accurately determines if there will be a problem with legal entities. They pay him a fortune to do this. Some say his work on a deal can cut out a significant amount of legal tape and hassle.”
I struggled to imagine a world where my father worked in the business world, failed miserably, and spluttered. “And he does that for dragons here?”
“Only as a mediator. No, he typically works for humans and their companies—or the other species hiding around in the world. The only way he’ll do business with dragons is if both groups of dragons have requested him as a neutral party. Most do not. He’s, well, a mean old dragon with no patience for other dragons.”
Once again, I struggled to imagine my father being a mean anything, although I couldn’t fault her for calling him old. He admitted he was of advanced age for a dragon plenty enough at home. “And her?”